Texas Architect May/June 2007: San Antonio

Texas Architect May/June 2007: San Antonio

Texas Architect is the official publication of the Texas Society of Architects, each edition features recently completed projects and other editorial content largely written by AIA members in Texas. That collective participation was the basis of Texas Architect’s recognition by the national AIA with a 2010 Institute Honor for Collaborative Achievement.

E D I T O R ’ S N O T E 5/6 2007 texas architect 7 For a glimpse into the future of the architec- tural profession, the University of San Antonio College of Architecture offers a few hints. The College’s design studios present examples of the kind of diversity that has proved so elusive for the profession, with the demographic character of its student body giving the impression that progress may be just a few years away. UTSA, the youngest of the state’s eight ac- credited architecture schools, boasts the fast- est-growing architectural program in Texas, but more significant is the makeup of its 1,008 enrollment—with a reported 54 percent Latino, 34 percent Anglo, 4.4 percent African Ameri- can, and 3.6 percent Asian American. Among the eight architecture schools, only the Uni- versity of Houston exemplifies a broader ethnic diversity, with its enrollment of 817 reported as 39 percent Anglo, 32 percent Latino, 19 per- cent Asian American, and 6.4 percent African American. As might be expected, Prairie View A&amp;M, one of the nation’s seven Historically Black Colleges and Universities with a profes- sional architecture program, has the most black students among its enrollment of 250—with a student body made up of 73.4 percent African American, 15.6 percent Latino, 6.8 percent An- glo, and 1.2 percent Asian American. (Figures, based on Fall 2006 enrollment, represent all undergraduate and graduate programs within the respective schools of architecture.) Statistics on gender at UTSA are similarly illuminating in regard to a profession that con- tinues to be dominated by white males. Women now comprise 45 percent of the College’s 1,008 student. While far above the 12 percent that females represent among AIA’s licensed archi- tects, UTSA’s figure is just the third-highest in the state. Fall 2006 enrollment at the University of Texas at Austin showed 55.2 percent of its 643 students were female and rice University reported women comprising 54 percent of its 177 students during the same period. Encouraging as those numbers may be, trends indicate that most minority and female graduates will not become licensed architects but instead will opt for other careers within the architecture profession and allied fields. The greater impact on the AIA most likely will be improved diversity among its associate ranks. Membership totals from the Texas component, which closely resemble the AIA’s numbers, pro- vide an illustrative snapshot. (See box above.) A Hopeful Look Forward Broader diversity in some Texas schools may herald a more inclusive profession associate Professor Mahesh senagala’s fourth-year studio represents a microcosm of Utsa college of architecture’s overall demographic characteristics. Latinos comprise 54 percent of enrollment and women account for 45 percent. since achieving accreditation in 2002, Utsa has become the fastest-growing architectural program in texas. by STEphEN ShaRpE architect Members 87% Male 12% Female 76% Anglo 6% Latino 3% Asian American 1% African American 14% Undeclared associate Members 67% Male 31% Female 50% Anglo 17% Latino 6% Asian American 4% African American 21% Undeclared aIa Texas Membership (april 2007) Almost 40 years after National Urban League President Whitney M. Young Jr. famously re- buked the AIA for its “irrelevance” in regard to the civil rights movement, the AIA has little to show for its efforts to recruit talent among the nation’s black communities. Since Young’s address before the AIA convention of 1968, the percentage of black students enrolled in most architectural programs remains dismally low. There are, however, a few bright spots – in- creased numbers of women, Latinos, and Asian Americans studying architecture in some Texas schools – in the overall picture that give hope to a profession that can only benefit from a mem- bership that better reflects the populace. UTSA’s demographics certainly demonstrate success in reaching out to historically underserved con- stituencies and extending the opportunity to join a profession that sorely needs them. Stephen Sharpe is editor of Texas Architect. phoTo coUrT eSy T he U niv erSiT y oF T e x A S AT S A n A n To nio